Ring of Fire
by crazynut2
Summary: Edward's family was torn apart by a tragedy he can't get over. Bella's life seems right but there's something off she can't quite put her finger on.  Are they connected? Can they help each other find their way? AH. Rated M for language and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

Short A/N: With the exception of this short introductory Chapter, I'm hoping to have updates of this story every Monday. To the few of you who read Blue Moon, I do have an a/n on my profile page explaining what's going on with that story. I'm very excited about this one and I have big plans for it. Let me know what you think. Like I said, it's an intro chapter so it is very short. Trust me, the next chapters will be longer.

Enjoy guys!

All rights belong to S. Meyer. I just like to play around with her characters!

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BPOV

"Shit!"

This day was just not going the way that I was hoping at all. This is the last time I try to look nice. I should know better. As clumsy and accident prone that I am, I should know better than to wear a cream colored blouse when I know there's no way I won't spill my chai latte all over it. In my defense, though, I didn't know some suit would make me spill it all over myself.

"Asshole! " I yelled at his retreating form, hurrying down Park Avenue. "Can't you watch where you're fucking going?"

"Piss off lady!" he replied as he ran away, giving me the finger as he retreated.

_Real classy douche bag_.

This was supposed to be such a good day.

I finally walk up to my building and walk through the large glass revolving doors. The smell of fresh coffee and pastries immediately grab my attention. _Damn it always smells so good in here. Maybe that's how she keeps all her clients._ I pass the doorman, Fred, who politely nods as I enter.

"Good afternoon Miss Swan. How are you finding yourself today?" he asked.

"Now I know it's part of your job description to be cordial, Fred, but I know damn well you see this huge fresh stain on my shirt" I responded.

"I take it not very well then, Miss Swan?" he asked, raising his eyebrow with a knowing smirk.

"I'll see you later Fred."

"Good day Miss Swan."

I walk up to the receptionist desk as Claire was just picking up the phone. "Bright Side Psychiatrics. Alice Brandon's office. Oh, yes! Hi David, I've been expecting your call... " She trails off as I look around the room waiting for her to finish. Claire and I were both fresh out of college and trying to find our places in the world. She, however, had found herself a job while I still didn't know what I wanted to do. Claire and I both went to NYU together and lived in a four floor walkup above a bar. Money wasn't really a huge issue for either of us. Claire's parents are both cardiac surgeons at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and my father, Charlie is a criminal defense lawyer while my mother, Renee, is CFO of a large anesthesiology practice. Claire's uncle owned the bar and was landlord of the apartments, though, so he gave us a good rate.

Once we were done with school, Claire moved out to live with her boyfriend Ben, a resident at Columbia, and I stayed in a smaller apartment in her uncle's building. When Alice told me she was looking for a new assistant who would be close to her practice, I immediately thought of Claire and set her up to meet Alice. They instantly hit it off and I knew Claire would work great with Alice.

"Could you just hold on one second please? Thanks." Claire quietly put the phone on hold and smiled up at me. "Hey Bella. She's just finishing up with a patient now. You can go on in there and sit in the waiting room outside her office. She should be out in a few." She motioned toward the waiting room connected to Alice's office.

"Thanks Claire" I say as I walk toward the waiting room.

"Oh Bella, wait!" Claire stops me just as I'm walking through the door. "Looks like you could use this" she says as she hands me a Tide to Go pen. I laughed as she grinned sympathetically.

"Perfect, thank you. I'll get this back to you in a little b-"

"OH MY GOD! HE ASKED YOU?" she interrupted. It took me a second to realize that she was looking down at my hand that I was using to take the pen. _Oh crap. This was supposed to be a surprise._ Claire was still shrieking, looking at the new shiny diamond ring on my finger.

"Claire, shh! Alice doesn't know yet. That's what I'm here to tell her" I explained quickly.

"Oh my God! Bella! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" she squealed out in one breath. Her excitement was cut short by the continual ringing of the phones. "Ok, well we are definitely talking about this soon!"

"Yes, definitely. I will give you all the details don't worry. We'll go out to dinner to celebrate. I'll give you a call later ok?" I asked as she walked back over to her desk.

"Definitely! Congrats again Bells, you totally deserve it!"

"Thanks Claire" I beam. "I'll get this back to you in a little bi-"

"Bella, please. How well do I know you? I'm sure you'll need it later today. Keep it" she said while laughing. She knew all too well just how accident prone I was.

"Will do." I thanked her again as she went back to her desk. I walked into the small waiting room and sat down in one of the many comfortable armchairs that were arranged throughout the room. Alice, without a doubt, knew how to make someone feel relaxed.

Alice Brandon has been my best friend since we were little. She is four years older than I am, but you would never be able to tell by the way we act. Alice has her young, immature moments. We grew up in Rumson, New Jersey, our parents having been best friends since college with houses side by side. Even being four years apart, Alice and I were always inseparable. When we were younger, we would always dream about growing up and moving away from our parents to live in the Big Apple. Alice always knew that she wanted to have her own psychiatric practice on the Upper East Side while I wasn't quite sure what I wanted. All I knew was that I wanted to get out on my own. What better place to branch out then New York City?

I could hear what sounded like a heated discussion coming from Alice's office. I know she has a lot of business from severe psych patients and I hope that whoever she is speaking with doesn't give her too much trouble. All of a sudden, I felt my phone buzz with a text.

_Mom._

I smiled as I opened my messages on my phone.

_**Bella, you're father told me that we have dinner plans coming up. I'm assuming you have some news to share? Can't wait sweetheart. Love you. Mom**_

I love my mother. I was so thankful that we had a loving mother/daughter relationship. We were lucky that way.

_**Yes mom, I have news. But don't think that you're getting anything out of me! You have to wait for dinner.**_

Her response was almost immediate.

**Oh honey, I wouldn't dream of ruining your surprise. ;)**

I had to laugh at her use of an emoticon. My mom was getting so tech-savvy. It was kind of strange. I didn't know how long I could keep this news a secret from my mom, though. She read me very easily. I must remember to leave our conversations strictly text only until I can tell her. Otherwise, she'll know it right away.

I was torn away from my musings when I heard a loud crash come from Alice's office.

"_YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" _I heard a very angry male voice yell.

"_I'm not trying to upset you Edward. Let's just calm dow-"_

"_DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN. YOU HAVE NO FUCKING RIGHT TO TALK TO ME LIKE YOU KNOW ME. ASIDE FROM WHAT'S IN THAT FUCKING FILE ON YOUR DESK, YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT MY LIFE!"_

"_Edward, wait-"_Alice's attempts to calm her irate client down were to no avail as he stormed out of her office, staring at me with completely void and angry eyes. Completely shocked and unable to move, I had no idea what to do other than watch him stare at me. His eyes surveyed my face for a few moments before he gave me a short once over, stopping on my left hand where my new ring sat.

He scoffed before looking back up at my face. "Don't do it. It's a fucking mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life."

With that, he stormed out of the waiting room and through the revolving door, knocking some poor women into Fred as he left out onto Park Avenue.

"Oh Jesus, Bella. I had no idea you were out here! Are you ok?" Alice asked me as I was still looking through the swinging door to the lobby just before it closed completely.

"Bella? Can you hear me?" Alice questioned, a little more frantic this time. I finally escaped out of my stupor enough to look at her and nod with a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I'm fine. I think the real question is are _you_ ok?" I asked her with a small smirk.

Alice started laughing as she walked back into her office. I got up and followed her, shutting her door behind me as I walked in. "Oh Bella, I get guys like that all the time. Don't worry. I know how to handle myself" she said with a wink, holding her fist up as if she were about to fight me. That made me laugh hysterically, knowing for sure that Alice could definitely handle herself.

"Alright, Alice. Don't go all Rambo on me. As long as you're ok" I said with a smile.

"I'm fine. Now tell me! What's this big news you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

I look around nervously before I spill everything to Alice. I knew she would be happy for me because she was my best friend, but Alice has never had warm feelings for my boyfriend, Jacob. She would always have little comments about how she didn't trust him or that I didn't know enough about his background and that I needed to be careful. So, this conversation was not one that was going to come easy for me.

"Bella?" I looked up from my musings to a confused looking Alice.

"Yea?"

"Your news?" she laughed. "Does it really need to be this suspenseful?"

"I'm sorry, Alice. I guess my head is still somewhere else" I started. "The reason I wanted to come over here is because-"

"Oh my God, the bastard proposed" Alice said with a completely dead tone. I quickly looked up to see her eyeballing my ring. _Why the hell did I wear it again? It's completely ruining my surprising everyone._

"Yea" I said, matching her tone. "The _bastard_ did."

"I'm sorry, Bella. You know how I feel about him" she said with a sigh. "I still don't trust him in the slightest, but if this is truly what you want, _truly,_" she paused, I assumed, for effect, "then I will support you."

I was surprised that this conversation went a little smoother than I thought it would. Thank God for my supportive best friend. "I'm really glad to hear that, Alice" I smiled. She responded with a tight, forced smile in return. "Because," I continued, "I'm really going to need my maid of honor to be able to be in the same room as my fiancé."

"Oh Bella!" Alice squealed. "I'd be honored! Really! You don't know how much that means to me."

"Well good. Do you have time to go with me to lunch?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Crazy guy was my last client for the day so I'm done. Let's go."

We walked out of her office and through the waiting room, where I first saw "crazy guy," as Alice put it. I would have to ask her what that was about. Hopefully, I would be able to get some kind of information about that argument I overheard.

We said a quick goodbye to Claire as we headed out for lunch. I was excited that Alice was onboard as my maid of honor, but I just couldn't get crazy guy's statement out of my head.

_It's a fucking mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life._

This was supposed to be such a great day.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys. I'm sorry this chapter is a little over a week late! Things got a little hectic last week but hopefully everything will be back on schedule now.  
Thanks for those that are sticking with me! I hope you're not disappointed :)

Let me know what you guys think and the next chapter will be up next Monday!

All rights go to SMeyer. I just like to play with her characters!

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BPOV

We head out of Bright Side and start walking along the sidewalk down Park. The crowd is relentless and I know there is no way we'll be able to get a cab anytime soon.

_I hope we're eating somewhere close by._

I always let Alice pick our places to eat, since she always seems to know where all of the cute hole in the wall places are. "So, where are we going today Al? Someplace new?"

As I waited for her to answer me, I realized that she was looking off toward the end of the street with her brow furrowed, as though she were concentrating on what to do next. "Alice?" I questioned, trying to get her out of this trance she suddenly seemed to be in.

"Alice!" I yelled, grabbing her arm to snap her out of it. She snapped back and looked at me in alarm before relaxing her face and giving me a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Bella" she apologized. "I guess I'm still a little shaken by Edward."

"Edward?" I asked. From the confrontation I overheard while waiting outside Alice's office, I knew that she was referring to the angry client that left in a sudden rage, but I decided to question her anyway, in hopes of getting more information out of her.

"Yea, well 'crazy guy'" she said, using air quotes. "He has just got me thinking about whether I can really help him or not" she said with a small grimace. Alice was not one to let things go easily. She put up a fight for everything. She once called Channel 7 News on a Hyundai dealership for trying to swindle money out of her after returning her leased car in mint condition. She had a news crew follow her to the dealership and run an "on your side" report on how dealerships find loopholes in their contracts to take money from innocent people. She even went as far as to stop prospective buyers from approaching the dealership, warning them that they were going to be taken for everything. Needless to say, the dealership had her escorted off of the premises so they wouldn't take her to jail. Alice didn't roll over for anyone and stood her ground for everything. Hearing her talk this way was very unnerving.

"Today was probably the worst he has ever been" she continued, looking off into the distance. "I mean, I know he is going through a rough time and has every right to be upset, but..." she paused "he just doesn't seem to be progressing...at all."

"Al, I'm sure just talking to you makes things better," I responded, trying to appease some of her guilt.

"No Bella, you don't understand," she continued. "I have had a lot of patients with severe losses, but all of them at least want to get better. Edward has absolutely no desire to overcome his depression" she sighed. I hated seeing her this way. This was not the spunky Alice I knew.

"If he doesn't want to get better, why is he seeing you?" I didn't know what was going on with this Edward, but if he is causing so much trouble for Alice, I can't fathom why he would go to her in the first place.

"Believe me, he doesn't want to" she started. "You know I can't get into all of the details, Bells. I hate the whole confidentiality thing," she said with a smirk, letting the normal Alice shine through a bit. "It would be great to be able to talk to my best friend about some of these things."

"I know, Al. But you know you can come to me for anything. No matter what," I said, giving her a reassuring smile. I knew she couldn't go into any of the details of what she and Edward talk about during their sessions, but she needed to know that I am always there.

"Thanks Bells. I just hate feeling this way. I feel so defeated," she groaned, the grimace coming back. I knew this had to be killing her. We continued our walk down Park when Alice finally stepped into a small café a couple blocks away.

_Thank God it was close. I was starving._

Seemingly small on the outside, once we stepped inside the café, I could tell the looks outside were very deceiving. The inside was incredibly spacious with many booths and small tables all made of a dark mahogany wood. There were many funky pieces of art on small shelves placed all over the walls. Alice walked us over to a small booth toward the back of the café, away from where most of the other customers were sitting. I particularly liked the small bronze statue that sat on a shelf next to our booth which depicted a young girl dancer. Taking in the surroundings, I almost didn't notice the young waitress handing us our menus.

"Hi ladies. My name is Laurie and I'll be serving you. How are we doing today?" she asked with a smile.

Alice snorted and looked up at the waitress. "I'll have a Long Island please" she stated, handing the waitress her ID knowingly. Even though Alice was in her late twenties, her small frame made her look as if she were still in her teens. Poor thing.

"Sure thing," Laurie smirked, raising her eyebrows as if she understood how our day was going by Alice's drink choice. "And for you?" she asked, looking at me questioningly.

"I'll just have water, please" I responded, leaving the drinking to Alice.

The waitress handed Alice back her ID, wrote our orders down and walked over to the bar, giving us time to make our lunch choices. I looked over the menu, hoping that they had my favorite item. _Yes!_ They made mushroom ravioli. I looked up from the menu, content with my choice, to see Alice looking at me with a questionable smile on her face.

"What?" I asked, wondering why she was looking at me so strangely.

"Aren't you going to tell me all about your new accessory on that little finger there?" she asked, pointing to my new engagement ring.

My face started to burn with the small embarrassment I felt. I knew how Alice felt about Jake and I wasn't truly sure that she really wanted to hear about the proposal, the engagement or even the wedding plans. I knew from the moment I met Alice that when I got married, she would be my maid of honor. I just wish that she got along better with my boyfriend—well I guess, now, fiancée. "I wasn't sure if you would want to talk about it," I responded.

"Bella," she started, sternly. "I know that you know how I feel about Jacob," she paused, looking at me with her head tilted to the side. "BUT," she emphasized, "If you are truly happy and feel as if he is the absolute perfect match for you, then I will support you" she said, taking my hand and smiling at me reassuringly. I don't think that I could love Alice anymore than I did at that moment. "So?" she asked. "How did he propose?"

"Well," I started. This was the part that I wasn't as excited to talk about. I'm not that crazy about attention, but I have to admit that I have always wanted a really cute proposal story. I mean, what girl doesn't, right? I didn't want anything crazy or outlandish. I didn't need to choke on a ring that was hidden in my food with everyone looking at me expectantly or anything like that. I'm guessing that Jake just didn't know about these girly expectations. He had walked into our apartment after having a late night at work. Being a cop isn't the easiest job in the world and sometimes Jake ended up working late hours. There would be many nights where I wouldn't get to see him at all. After walking in, I could tell that it had been a rough night and I decided to go and run a bath for him. After running the water and adding the small soap pearls that I knew he liked, I got up to let him know it was ready. As I walked out into our small living room, I saw him seated on our couch looking at me with a small smile on his face.

"Come over here a sec, babe," he said, motioning me to sit beside him on the couch.

I smiled and did as he asked, wondering if he wanted to talk about something. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Everything's great, well, at least I hope it will be," he said as he started to fish around in his pocket for something. I raised my eyebrow at him questioningly, wondering why something could possibly be wrong.

"Jake, what's going o—" I started, but caught my tongue when I saw that he had pulled out a small black box. I didn't have to be a genius to know what was inside. I think girls are programmed at birth to recognize those boxes.

"I know this may seem sudden and I know this probably isn't the way you thought it would be," he started, probably noticing the small disappointment on my face. I quickly tried to hide it, but I knew it was ineffective. "It just felt right."

"Jake, I—"

"Wait, Bella," he interrupted. "I love you. I know you love me too. I just feel like this is a good step for us. I want us to be together forever."

I didn't know what to say. He definitely caught me off guard. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea, though. I did love him, very much. I just was not expecting it this soon. I knew that things were definitely going in this direction. Maybe I was just over thinking this. I loved Jake. Marriage was obviously the next logical step. I looked up at Jake, realizing that my inner monologue must have come across as silent rejection. So involved with my inner ranting, I didn't even realize that he had opened the box to reveal a white gold plated ring with a small square-cut diamond. It was beautiful.

"I'm sorry, Bella. This was too sudden. I'll just—"

"No, Jake" I started, knowing that if he kept going, this night could be the end of something that I didn't think I was ready to lose. "I'm sorry. It is sudden, that's true," I said with a small smile. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing." He looked up at me through his eyelashes, starting to smile a little more after seeing my expression. I looked back at him, my smile growing wider as I realized what would result from this talk. _Maybe I want this more than I thought._

"Okay then," he continued. He stood from the couch, still holding the small box in his hand. He moved so that he was standing right in front of me and gently fell to one knee. "Bella, I love you very much." He pulled the ring out of the box, taking my hand and holding the ring right by my finger. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

I didn't need to think about it anymore, not only because a hesitation would probably upset Jake's resolve in asking me, but also because I felt this was right. "Yes, I will."

He laughed happily, sliding the ring on my finger and pulling me into a tight embrace, kissing me sweetly.

I was snapped from my memory by Alice bringing me back to our conversation. "Bella?" she asked in a sing-song voice. "Where did you go?" she laughed.

"I'm sorry. Guess I was daydreaming a little bit," I responded.

"I'm assuming the proposal was good then?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow in expectance.

"Here you guys go," said Laurie, returning with our drinks. "One Long Island," she said as she placed Alice's drink in front of her, "and one water," she said as she handed me my drink. We then placed our orders and Laurie walked away, leaving me to look at Alice, whose eyebrow was still cocked, waiting for an answer.

"It was very sweet. A little unexpected," I paused, "but nice regardless." I then went into my description of that night's events. I could tell that Alice was unimpressed, hoping for a little more ingenuity on Jacob's part, but she kept her mouth shut.

"That does sound very _sweet_" she responded. I slapped her hand playfully, knowing that that was all I was going to get from her.

We began talking about things in Alice's life as Laurie brought us our food. Lunch went by quickly and we found ourselves rushing out after having been at the café for 3 hours, not realizing how long we had been talking. Alice still needed to run some errands before she went home for the day and so we said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.

I hailed a cab and headed in the direction of my apartment. A few minutes later, I paid the cabbie and stepped out. I could tell through the window that there were a few people in the bar, but it was only a little after 4 o'clock. I knew in a couple hours it would be packed. I stopped by the mailboxes and grabbed my mail before I walked up the four flights to my small apartment. It was across from the apartment Claire and I originally rented, which now occupied three young girls attending NYU. I still couldn't understand how they fit three girls in that apartment when Claire and I barely fit, but I'm sure Uncle Joe didn't give them the good rate that we had, so the more people they had, the lower their rent. That's just how it goes in this town. I, however, still got a good deal on my one bedroom, having gotten very close with Uncle Joe.

I could hear the girls listening to some music and laughing with what sounded like a couple of guys.

_Oh, those college days._

I locked the door behind me and set my keys on the small table beside the entryway. My apartment was smaller than the one Claire and I shared, only having one bedroom, a small living room and a much smaller kitchen. It was just enough for me though. I walked over into the kitchen, putting the mail down on the counter and checked the phone on the wall for any messages. _**1 New Message**_

_Probably Mom._

I pressed the play button to listen to the recording. I could hear my mother talking in the background when the message first clicked over.

"—_**don't know what you want from me, Charlie. *laugh* Hello? Did the machine pick up? Bella, I was just calling to find out about our dinner plans. Just the when and where. Call me when you get a chance, okay sweetheart? We love you."**_

I smiled as I listened to my mother's message. I think she expects what news I have to give them and I wonder if Jake had asked their permission first. Knowing my father, I surely hope he did. My father is very old-fashioned and, although he would probably accept it, Jake would definitely lose points in my dad's book if he didn't ask his permission first. I still wasn't sure when we would be able to make it to dinner together. Jake's job has been keeping him out at night a lot lately. Tonight would be the first time I have spent the night with him in about four days. Granted, we haven't officially moved in together, both of us still having our own apartments, but we rarely spend the nights alone, whether it is at his place or, more likely, mine.

I walked over to the mail on the counter and scrolled through it for anything interesting. It was mainly bills and promotional mail from local boutiques, but I also found my paycheck from a local office I have been doing part time work for in social work. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but at least my Bachelor Degree in Sociology is allowing me to try and help people while I figure it out. I have enjoyed it so far, even though I've only worked on a few very small cases. I do think that no matter what I end up doing, I would like to be able to help people. Not on such a level as Alice works on, but perhaps on a lower level, I could help someone enough that they wouldn't need the kind of help Alice offers. It would be nice to be able to give back to someone like that. To be able to give them their life back.

Remembering a few things I needed to do before work tomorrow, I walked back to my small desk that I have set up in the corner of my living room. I pulled a few folders out of the small cabinet that was attached at the bottom of the desk and started working. After working for a few hours, I decided to make something small to eat, not knowing what time Jake would be coming over tonight. It would be nice to have him be around for actual meals, but I knew he couldn't help that he was getting caught up in work.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard my cell phone ringing. I ran to my bag which I left with my keys by the front door. I searched through my bag trying to follow the sound.

_I really need to clean this thing out._

I finally found it right before it went to voicemail and looked at the front screen.

_Jake_

I smiled as I answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey baby," he said, his voice low and a little breathless. My heart immediately dropped as dread washed through me.

_Something's wrong._

"What's wrong, Jake?" I asked, not beating around the bush.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he started. "I'm still at work and I have to run out on a case that just came in," he groaned. "I don't know how long I'll be," he said with a quick intake of breath.

"Are you okay? You sound so out of breath."

"I'm fine," he responded quickly. "I'm just running out now trying to catch up with the others." I could hear some kind of commotion in the background that sounded like someone cursing, but I couldn't quite make it out. "I'm not sure when I'll get off," he hissed.

"Well, okay. I was just really hoping that you would be coming over tonight." I said quickly. I could tell he was trying to push me off the phone.

"I'm sorry Bella, I have to go," he rushed.

"But, Jake—"

"I'll call you later," he said, right before he hung up. I hated this. This was not what I wanted our relationship to be. Angry and annoyed, I pulled my wallet out of my purse, grabbed a few bills and stuffed them into my pocket. I grabbed my cell and my keys and walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind me.

As I was walking down the steps, I could hear the music and voices from the bar streaming up into the stairwell. It was definitely busier than it was when I first came home. Luckily the noises didn't travel up to my apartment because I don't think I would be able to take drunk and obnoxious people keeping me awake at all hours of the night. There were many benefits to living above a bar, though. Especially on nights like tonight, which were becoming much more frequent, when I just needed to get out. I make it to the small hallway that connects the bar to the locked door of the stairwell and walk over to the bar door. As I suspected, it was extremely busy. Uncle Joe's was a fairly large bar with direct seating for about 20 people and various tables scattered around the main floor and six booths against the right wall. The low lighting cast a golden light throughout the bar with the neon lights of various beer signs mixed with the few smokers at the bar adding a reddish blue haze.

Uncle Joe's is one of the few smoker-friendly bars left in the city. He paid a lot of fees for it, but his philosophy is that it's just part of the atmosphere. I've heard him many times telling someone who complains, "It's a bar. What do you expect?"

I see Joe serving a few people at the bar and walk up to take a seat, waiting for him to finish. It didn't take long for him to notice me sitting there and he walked over with a big smile on his face.

"Bella! How's it going kid?"

"It's alright, Joe," I said with a slight scowl. He noticed it and immediately starting pouring me a shot of tequila. I grabbed it quickly a knocked it back, plopping the shot glass down and taking a deep breath.

"One of those kind of nights, huh?" he responded, knowing full well what the problem was. "Is he caught up in work again?"

I sighed and started nodding my head, trying to hold back the tears that I could feel were attempting to escape. Joe, noticing my glassy eyes turned to his other bartender, Mike.

"Hey, Mike," he yelled, trying to get his attention. He must be fairly new because I come down to the bar frequently and have never seen him before. "This here is Bella Swan and she's having a pretty rough night," he says as Mike looks over at me sympathetically. "Now you give her anything she wants tonight on the house, you got me?"

"Oh, Joe. You don't have to do that," I said, not wanting his pity.

"Bella, we've known each other a long time. I mean we're practically family, right?" he asked with a smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile at his admission and nod in acceptance. "Alright, then. Let me take care of my family," he said before walking away.

Mike then walked up to me and poured me another tequila shot that I gladly knocked back again with ease. "I'm thinking shots are going to keep me happy tonight, Mike," I said softly as he poured me another.

"Then I'll just have to keep them coming," he said with a wink as he walked away to help another customer.

I knocked back that last tequila shot, closing my eyes in an effort to keep the tears at bay.

_I will not cry in a bar. I will not cry in a bar. I will not cry in a bar._

I don't know why I am letting myself get this upset. I knew that this was how Jake's job was going to be, even though I think, in the back of my mind, I was hoping that he would try and put me ahead of his work. I didn't want to be selfish, but he didn't have to take every single case that he came across. I rubbed my temple in exasperation before putting my head completely in my hands. I knew that I was just venting from tonight, but I couldn't help but run these thoughts through my mind.

_If he doesn't put us first now, why would he when we're married?_

"What's the matter beautiful?" I heard someone beside me ask.

I slowly lifted my head and turned to the left to see a guy with dark hair styled with a buzz cut, dressed in a dark blue polo shirt with faded jeans staring at me with a small smirk on his face. I had seen him in here a couple times with a few other guys who always seemed to have very promiscuous looking women with them. I didn't remember seeing any of them when I came in and I began to wonder where they were tonight..and why he was so close to me now.

I figured he was probably harmless enough. I had been hit on by guys before and had perfected my brush off. I didn't see why this guy would be any different.

"I don't see how that is any of your business," I replied, turning my head back to the bar and catching Mike's eye. I point down to the shot glass and he quickly refilled it for me with a knowing smile.

"What about you, man?" Mike asked the guy that was still staring at me. He finally broke his gaze and looked at Mike.

"Nothing for me man, but I can get hers," he said, attempting, I assume, to sound smooth.

"She's been covered," Mike said bitingly, looking at me questioningly. I shrugged minutely, giving him a reassuring nod. _I can take care of this guy myself._ He looked at the guy one more time before walking to the other people at the bar.

"Is that your boyfriend of something," the guy asked me accusingly.

"No, he's not. But I'm sure my _fiancée_ will be here soon," I replied sweetly with the fakest smile I could muster. It hurt knowing that my fiancée would not, in fact, be there soon, but this guy didn't need to know that.

"That's a shame beautiful," he said with a frown. "I've been watching you for a while now," he added, this time speaking a little lower. This caused my head to jerk in his direction with my eyebrow quirked, a little creeped out.

_Maybe this guy's not so harmless._

Noticing my wary look, he added smoothly, "just when I get up the courage to speak to you, I find out your taken." He laughs, shaking his head and scratching his almost hairless head. "Well, if your fiancée, uhh, ends up becoming _out of the picture_," he paused, staring into my eyes, "the name's Paul." He backed away slowly before turning around completely and walking to the door. Right before he walked out, he turned to me with a smirk.

"I'll see you around Bella." And he walked out.

_That was creepy..wait a second, did I tell him my name?_

"Can I get another one, please?" I was suddenly taken out of my thoughts when I heard a familiar voice ask for a drink a few seats down from me.

_Oh no._

I turn to look and confirm my suspicion. Yep. Six seats away from me sat a very brooding 'crazy guy.'

_What the hell is he doing here?_

Well, okay. I know what he is doing here..drowning his sorrows like many others in here, including me. I was afraid he may cause a scene like the one he did earlier today, but something seemed different about him. This crazy guy wasn't angry or red-faced and yelling. There was no hint of malice in his voice when he asked Mike for another drink. There were no accusations or name calling. No sense of hatred for anyone around him. Aside from his occasional requests for another drink, he didn't seem to even notice that there were people around him. The only emotion I could gather from his face was pure sadness. Even angered and annoyed, it broke my heart. I didn't know anything about this man other than he was a depressed client of Alice's who had, according to Alice's earlier words, suffered a great loss.

I knew that there was nothing I could do for this man and it was probably from working so much lately in social work, but in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be able to help this crazy guy lose a little of his misery.

I just wish I knew how.


End file.
